Cinevox Records presents Mario Bava's SCHOCK!

Libra - Mario Bava's SCHOCK TRANSFERT * SUSPENCE * HYPNOS (CD, Jewel Case, Soundtrack) [2002, Re-Issue] Italy.

1. The Shock (04:07)
2. L'Altalena Rossa (01:28)
3. Transfert I / Hypnos / Transfert II (04:08)
4. La Baia (02:18)
5. La Cantina / The Shock (Ripresa) (03:02)
6. Tema Di Marco I / Tema Di Marco II (03:36)
7. L'Incubo (03:33)
8. Transfert III (01:34)
9. Il Fantasma Suona Il Piano (01:56)
10. Transfert IV / Tema Di Marco II (Ripresa) (04:00)
11. Il Fantasma Suona Il Piano (Alternate piano solo long version)* (02:47)
12. The Shock (Alternate movie version)* (01:40)
13. Tema Di Marco (Alternate movie version)* (01:38)
14. Transfert IV (Alternate movie version)* (02:54)

* previously unreleased on the original Cinevox Album MDF 33/113. Music composed and performed by I LIBRA: Carlo Pennisi - Guitars, Alessandro Centofanti - Keyboards,  Dino Cappa - Bass, Walter Martino - Drums, Maurizio Guarini - Additional Keyboards.

"Nightmare Music Guaranteed to SHOCK!" You got that right. This is some hardcore bad dream inducing music here, and I know it because I've listened to this about thirty or so times while sleeping. If you're looking for some warped, twisted and fucked up dreams then try it out. For this madness inducing piece of work, I Libra (lead by former Goblin drummer Walter Martino) took jazz infused progressive rock to a new level of avant-garde, psychedelic and disarranged experimentation. With distorted sounds, off beat rhythms and a totally chaotic atmosphere, the songs of Schock constantly trial off much like waves in an acid trip, yet always seem to blend seamlessly back together into  another new frenzy of uneasy listening.

Schock is a supersexy-swingin' film (see the above photo) about a woman going absolutely batshit crazy and losing her goddamned mind! The accompanying music of Libra is so utterly triumphant at creating the perfect representation of her crashing and crumbling mindset with its pinball-inside-the-skull type pounding grooves, that it may in fact be too powerful of a soundtrack. You read that right, listening to this soundtrack has a brain stimulating effect that triggers anxious, relentless and diabolical tendencies among even those considered mildly insane. It's heavy stuff, doc. I can only imagine what a full blown psychopath would do if he were hooked up to a device that played nothing but this music. Perhaps he'd say that he already owns that album... inside his head, that is!!1

I was watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest the other day and during the scenes with Scatman Crothers and Jack Nicholson together I couldn't help but think of this movie. Just look at him and Jack getting on like old friends... if he only knew that five years later in The Shining he'd be shockingly killed with a fucking Axe! Then there's Daria Nicolodi and John Steiner... not only is he killed with a pickaxe to the heart in Schock (see that last photo above), but he's also done in with a fucking Axe five years later in Tenebrae (also starring Daria) as well. Coincidence!?

Perhaps. Wait a minute? Wasn't Scatty murdered with a pickaxe in One Flew Over as well? This shit is just getting too damn weird. Hey, you wanna have a fucked up, weird-out, movie marathon night? Then I suggest you watch One Flew, followed by The Shining and Tenebrae, then end it with Schock. Every time someone has a psychotic episode you've gotta chug a beer, and every time someone is killed by an axe (of any variety, including pickaxes and Nurse "Hatchets" har har har) you've gotta take a puff off the ol' peace pipe. Tell me I'm not brilliant.

Check out the soundtrack for free HERE on youtube. Track 2 really reminds me of the flower power stuff that David Hess did for the Last House on the Left soundtrack. It's so mellow and late 70's maaaannnn... if you haven't seen this film then don't even hesitate to buy it and not thank me later. I seriously am in love with this movie and the soundtrack as well. Consider it highly recommended. D'eth out.

A look at No Shame's Luciano Ercoli Death Box Set

On February 28th 2006, No Shame Films (now defunct, see MYA Communications) released a Special 3-Disc Collector's Edition of two Luciano Ercoli directed films in what they called the Death Box Set. Included in this set are the two films: Death Walks on High Heels (1971), Death Walks at Midnight (1972) and a CD Collection of music from Stelvio Cipriani entitled The Sound of Love and Death (this collection features only music from his work on other films however). It's a pretty hefty 3-Disc here and it comes with slipcase that features slick, glossy embossed sections: the bright lettering, the blood, the rectangular photos on the back and a clear spiked glove on the front that you can only see when you hold the case a certain way in the light. It's pretty cool, and though the artwork on the slipcover is pretty minimal (with just outlines mostly), No Shame didn't exactly have the best track record for their artwork so I'll take it.

The inside of this set is very nice looking and the disc holders are tight and can be pushed (they fold) inward with a snap in the middle. This clear case has a really good design, and though there isn't much on the inside cover, it's just a cool arrangement.

A 16-Page booklet is included with Liner Notes and Bios from Chris D. (notably, The Pinky Violence Collection), as well as some poster art, a few stills from the films and a Soundtrack track listing. 

Lastly, two Postcards are included. It's nice that there is so much lobby card art here, but I would have rather preferred six to twelve full page postcards with some of the selected artwork instead of these two being so clumped together. It's still a nice touch though.

While not absolutely perfect, this is a really nice set and a great set from No Shame. I love it when soundtracks are included with DVDs, even if they're filled with nothing but music from the composer's other films and not the films in the set.

This set is now OOP, but originally had a MSRP of $34.95 USD. The discs are REGION 0 NTSC, UNCUT presentations with Anamorphic Widescreen in OAR (2.35:1), and feature Italian and English Mono tracks as well as English Subtitles.

Guns N' Roses - Yesterdays

Guns N' Roses - Yesterdays (CD, Maxi-Slim, Single) [1992] Germany.

1. Yesterdays [3:16] *
2. November Rain [8:57] **
3. Yesterdays (Live) [4:11] ***
4. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Live) [4:39] ****


* Album Version. Taken from the LP "Use Your Illusion II".
** Album Version. Taken from the LP "Use Your Illusion I".
*** Recorded Live in Las Vegas, Nevada. January 25th, 1992.
**** Recorded Live at the Marquee, London. June 28th, 1987.

[Watch teh MUSIC VIDEO] Get that outta the way. Yesterdays was never my favorite GNR song. They've got a plethora of songs that are so ridiculously badass, that, why would I at such a young age dig Yesterdays? Never at any point did I dislike the track, but when I would think of GNR or talk about 'em, it never really came up. The fact is, I like every single song on both Use Your Illusion albums. Everyone loves Appetite For Destruction, but people get weird when the UYI albums come up. 'Which one is better, which has the best songs', and so on... but to me, these albums aren't even split. Perhaps they tried to vibe it out by splitting 'em, but there's no denying that these two albums were intertwined from the get. [Just in case you wish to know, these are my absolute favorites in order or appearance: Dust N' Bones, Back Off Bitch, Coma, Breakdown & Locomotive.] Man, when I would bake it was either Coma or Loco, but I love every single track on both of these. Yesterdays, if it were sung by anyone other than Axl Rose, or played by anyone other than Guns N' Roses, I would probably say that it sucks. Not on the terms of songwriting, or material, but perhaps on the lack of evil disassociation regarding living life and thinking about the past. But ghosts got nothin' but time to fuck with your brain, so...

Axl's scratchy, raspy-ass voice really sells the song and the band is at their peak so there's no going wrong with the material. Even if it's not their usual Hard-Rock, it's Rock and it's not a Ballad. The song has grown on me since I've gotten older like the old fuck that I am. Back when I first heard it the only Yesterdays that I knew wuz suckin' on me mum's tittie. Now that I've felt the pain called "life", I know what it feels like to remember whatever the fuck it is that they were singing about. Hm. Regarding the Live version: Even though Axl is working with a live stage show, back-up gospel singers and his trustworthy band, he sounds like he's about to spit up a fuckin' lung. No wonder he didn't want to do Encores (and this Live song is one), or even start to sing more than three songs at gigs he felt weren't worthy! That's Axl though, and we wouldn't have him any other way... or something. Knockin' On Heaven's Door isn't going to be a good song no matter who sings it so fuckitor. :( I guess they liked that version of the song since they included it on a few Singles from around the world.

Cemetery Statues are always beautiful.

NIN - We're In This Together

NIN - We're In This Together [Halo 15 - Disc 1] (CD, Maxi-Slim, Single) [1999] Holland.

1. We're In This Together [7:19] *
2. 10 Miles High [5:13] **
3. The New Flesh [3:41] **

* Album Version.
** These two tracks were exclusive to the Vinyl release of The Fragile, and this Single.

I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor's steady decline into elevator muzak has always left a bitter taste in the mouth. Now, I was never the biggest fan of NIN to begin with (to this day I only own somewhere around 18 of their CDs), and I'm not particularly fond of techno remixes, but something about even their lesser albums seem to draw me back after long periods of time. As if I feel the need to go back and revisit them, hoping maybe I just didn't give it the chance or *doubtfully* I was wrong. The Fragile album was my breaking point. Reznor's most accomplished, brilliant and damn near perfect album The Downward Spiral looks down upon The Fragile in disgust. And would spit upon it, if it weren't so damn helpless. The Fragile is like someone you really want to break up with, but you know the guilt would slowly just eat little holes in your soul... especially if that person killed themselves afterwards, and depending on if you feel things ...so you just go on ignoring it, and every once in a while pop it in for old time's sake. I guess that's what mood altering substances are for. Hmm.

We're In This Together (Watch the MUSIC VIDEO) was my favorite track on The Fragile album. This "Single" was actually three different Singles released at once, about a week after The Fragile came out. Reviewers have claimed that Disc 1 (above) is the best of the three and the most sought after since the track list doesn't suffer the flaws of the other two releases. I've seen this single release going for well over a hundred dollars online, and recently, as low as about fifty. As for the songs, 10 Miles High (LISTEN to the track) is definitely a creepy little number with shades echoing the HENRY: Portrait of a Serial Killer soundtrack. This song was later remixed by Keith Hillebrandt for the Things Falling Apart album (LISTEN to v2). This is a pretty solid and psycho-ish song, with minimal lyrics and both versions of it hold up extremely well. As for The New Flesh (LISTEN), I'd like to say long live it, but it is the weakest track here compared to the other two. However, that's not to say that it's bad. Sounding like an extremely lazy and hazy, mind-wandering portion from The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the track is actually quite enjoyable on its own. If you can find this USED at any shop, which is probably doubtful, buy it on sight. I don't recommend buying any CD for more than fifty bucks unless it's a Limited Boxset that's brand spakin' new. Maybe after all this talk I'll go back and listen to The Fragile again... it's been a few years now. Maybe.

Danzig - Skulls And Bones

Danzig - Skulls And Bones (CD, Jewel Case, Live Bootleg) [1993/94/95] ??? (Italy?)

Now we know why that blonde girl at the beach was nicknamed 'Firecrotch'!

01. Intro (Overture Of The Rebel Angels) / Brand New God [4:36] *
02. Snakes Of Christ [4:16] *
03. It's Coming Down [3:19] *
04. How The Gods Kill [6:41] *
05. Mother [3:30] *
06. Her Black Wings [4:55] *
07. Tired Of Being Alive [3:37] *
08. Twist Of Cain [3:35] *
09.  Long Way Back From Hell [4:41] *
10. Left Hand Black [4:41] *
11. How The Gods Kill [5:49(?)] **+
12. Mother '93 [3:13(?)] ***+

*Recorded Live: 6/17/94 at Orange County Fairgrounds; Middletown, NY

**+ Recorded Live: 10/31/92 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater; Irvine, CA [Track is fucked!]
***+ From the "Live" Mother '93 Single / Music Video release. [Track is fucked!]

"It's too fucking hot for a shirt! This is Snakes Of Christ!" This show was recorded during the same tour (lets say about a month after) as the "Power Of The Dark Side" CD that I just wrote about. Luckily this sounds a lot better than the other one. There's some crackling, a lot of close-up crowd noise during the quiet spots and a bit of insanity here and there... but fortunately they fixed that distortion problem from the previous shows. This is a damn fine intro set, and if you're into Danzig's Live performances then there's really no reason to keep you from getting this provided you've got some extra cash. They played a few songs they don't normally play (Left Hand Black, for instance) and the sound, while not great, is acceptable and loud during both vocals and instruments.

I don't know what the fuck happened with the last two tracks. Apparently the guy who "mastered" this Bootleg either fucked up or thought that it would be a funny joke to speed up the sound on 'em? Or maybe this "company" RTW didn't think there was enough room on the CD so these two tracks had to become smaller files, who fuckin' knows. Does it work that way? I don't know. It's not chipmunk sound or anything, but halfway there... and rendered totally worthless. Perhaps this Bootleg company just wanted their CD to finish as the time 51:50. That's cool at least, but I don't think so. Maybe they thought How The Gods Kill lasted too long. They sure as shit though must have been insane to fuck with shit this way. IDIOTS!

Strange that they note on the CD back cover "Intro / Come To Getcha", just like Power Of The Dark Side. Sure, POTDS had problems with the last set, but this one is pretty much the solution to that problem, so why the inclusion of the two famous tracks only to distort them? Guess we'll never fuckin' know... right?

Danzig - The Power Of The Dark Side

Danzig - The Power Of The Dark Side (CD, Jewel Case, Live Bootleg) [1994] Italy.

Good job Chuck. "Yeah, this hat will block the sun better than sunglasses! See guyz... oh wait."

Yeah beitch, they call me Clean Gleen Shower Scene Danzig! Gotta problem?

01. How The Gods Kill [6:22] *

02. Mother '93 [3:28] **

03. Intro (Pre-Her Black Wings Medley) / Am I Demon [6:25] ***

04. Twist Of Cain [3:30] ***

05. Mother [3:12] ***

06. Evil Thing [2:54] ***

07. When Death Had No Name [4:59] ***

08. Not Of This World [3:41] ***

09. Intro (Overture Of The Rebel Angels) / Brand New God [5:08] ****

10. Snakes Of Christ [4:05] ****

11. It's Coming Down [3:10] ****

12. Mother [3:18] ****

13. How The Gods Kill [6:08] ****
14. Her Black Wings [4:23] ****

15. Twist Of Cain [3:50] ****

16. Long Way Back From Hell [4:47] ****
17. Dirty Black Summer [4:16] ****

* Recorded Live: 10/31/92 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater; Irvine, CA

** From the "Live" Mother '93 Single / Music Video release.

*** Recorded Live: 7/7/89 at The Palace Theater; Hollywood, CA
**** Recorded Live: 5/30/94 at Darien Lake Amphitheater; Buffalo, NY

An interesting Bootleg I got here from "Metal Crash", bought it when I was probably fifteen and just found it to be killer! I've seen way worse Bootlegs in terms of quality, spelling errors, incorrect song titles (some of 'em just guess - I'll show you what I mean later with that)... but this one has to be one of the very Best out there! First off, take a look at that cover. That is one badass shot that they used! (Now, take a look at Glenn's 'final nail in the bootleg coffin' cover for "Live On The Black Hand Side", yeah, what's with the huge dirty looking hand? Who fuckin' designed that!? Uhg!) They got a clear inside tray with a cool group photo underneath, a picture disc, and a f'n eight page booklet w/ pics! Okay, so they spelt his name wrong... Eerie Von's got two E's and Glenn's got two N's, I guess it could be an honest mistake. All songs listed are correct except for "Come To Getcha" which is actually Brand New God but this Bootleg was released some four months before 4p so that's understandable.

I fucking LOVE this set piece! It was the most badass shit EVUR!

The first two tracks are listed as being recorded Live in the USA in 1993. How The Gods Kill was actually recorded during Danzig's most famous Live Date on Halloween in Irvine Meadows, California in 1992. Around this time they were working on their one and only EP to date, Thrall-Demonsweatlive, and compiled a few different video recordings of their song Mother to make a Music Video titled Mother '93 [Watch the MUSIC VIDEO]. They canned in audience recordings over their original song and set it to the video, and the results were absolutely explosive! The second track on this Bootleg is that recording. Their performance of HTGK from Irvine '92 has to be one of the best I've heard. Aside from watching the official Music Video [Uhhh, watch the MUSIC VIDEO] for the track, this Live performance is my favorite. [Note: Yahoo's got better quality, but the vid is CUT so here's the YTube one with teh boobies.]

Glenn playing darts backstage during intermission. Oh Glenn, you zany fucker.

The next six tracks, 3-8, recorded in not LA California, but rather The Palace Theater in Hollywood in 1989 are the real treasures found on this disc. This recording came a year before Lucifuge was released and before they start Am I Demon the band does this strange introduction that develops into the Her Black Wings riff before falling back and settling into the named track. These six tracks are stupendous quality, not only audio-wise but also in terms of their electric performances. John is shredding, Glenn is top form, Chuck is f'n going off and Eerie's fingers are bleeding! It's really cool to hear Not Of This World and especially Invocation on a Live CD. These fuckers WENT OFF and luckily it was captured on tape and preserved, because this is one show that when you listen to it, you're really going to wish you were there!

And then there's the next nine tracks from Buffalo, New York in 1994. Man, does the sound quality on this one suck. Wait, don't get me wrong, I've heard worse, a LOT worse than this actually... but compared to the first half of this Bootleg, this next set is pretty weak. If it were on its own, and you hadn't actually listened to the previous eight tracks, it probably wouldn't sound as bad (you know what I'm saying?). Hey, at least Now the disc feels like an actual Bootleg, right? There may have been problems with the set-up that day though, as there's a bit more squealing amp distortion than usual. So maybe their grips needed to get their shit together. Danzig's set list flows though, and it's cool to hear Brand New God then Snakes Of Christ then It's Coming Down back to back to back like that. Glenn definitely had a plan with that set list.

Simply put, a great fuckin' photo.

Despite the muffled sound of this last part, the show is energetic and the crowd is still as wild as ever. You can hear a lot of people talking to eachother durin HTGK so I wonder where the camera and/or recorder was located. I don't think Glenn is moving too much during this song, but now and then the distortion still hits hard. This set isn't their best performance, nor their best sounding, but its got a few moments of greatness. Maybe it's because they were playing right before Metallica at the time and all the roadies were fucked up. The band sounded great, but the situation was pure shite. All in all I'd say that this Bootleg CD is on par and even better than some of the Official releases. There's some classic shit here, and a great almost-shitty sounding show to end it all. Recommended.

Danzig - Sacrifice

Danzig - Sacrifice (CD, Jewel Case, Single) [1996] US.

Hollywood Record's art guy (name not listed) had a one-hour deadline with a half-hour lunch.

1. Sacrifice (Rust Mix) [3:47] *

2. Sacrifice (Trust Mix) [3:47] *

3. Sacrifice (Must Mix) [6:26] *

4. Sacrifice (Crust Mix) [6:29] *
5. Sacrifice (Martyr Mix) [6:20] **
6. Sacrifice (Album Version) [4:29] ***

* Remixed by J. G. Thirlwell
** Remixed by Joseph Bishara
*** Taken from the Danzig 5 sessions.

As bad as Danzig 5: BlackAciDevil is, especially when compared to Glenn's previous works, at least the music that he himself produced on that album isn't as horrid as these stupid-named Remixes are. The "Rust Mix" does its best job of covering Glenn's voice in distorted layers of shit until you can't even hear him. Some people have complained about this on albums 6 and onward, but on 5 he's loud and clear! Was this Remix a foreshadowing of things (or complaints) to come? The "Trust Mix" is essentially the "Rust Mix" but without the vocals at all! I guess covering 'em up wasn't enough. Heh. J.G.Thirlwell may have a somewhat impressive resume, and I own a few other CD's that he's done Remix work on, but this shit is uninspired and tired.

Despite the lack of vocals on the "Must Mix" (aside from one yell of "Sacrifice"), this seems to be the only track that the guy gave a fuck about. It feels like it could be in a Metroid game, sounds really nothing like the title track, and is weird enough to be considered OK. Joseph Bishara's one entry here sounds like the mutated child of the only good Thirlwell track and Danzig's far superior Original Version [Watch the MUSIC VIDEO]. This is the other OK track on this Single. If in fact this single consisted of the Original Version, the "Must Mix" and the "Martyr Mix" it would probably be a pretty decent release. Seeing as how Bishara did some work on one of the Mortal Kombat sequels and Heavy Metal: FAKK 2, I would have liked if he had another track on this to show off what else he could do.

This is no EP. It's a Single. This is the original release and not the Reissue with three bonus remix tracks. I have no desire to pick up the Reissue as even owning this dics displeases the hell out of me. The Reissue's cover art is actually well done, using the full picture that in this case has been blown up from eyebrows to chin and looks like total shit of a cover art job. The back of this atrocity looks like someone just straight ripped off an old NIN remix cd. I expect that kind of lazy shit from Trent and his art guys, but at least they sometimes have interesting backgrounds. This just looks like blurry, scratchy purple-ish trash. For shame. And the coverart isn't even a folded piece of paper either, it's just a straight double-sided insert job where the inner art is what's on the back cover, without the tracklist or other wording. Avoid!

Danzig - CantSpeak

Danzig - CantSpeak (CD, Maxi-Slim, Single) [1994/95] Germany.


Now that's some badass cover work! Bet it took three minutes.

1.Cantspeak (Album Version) [4:06] *

2. Cantspeak (Edit) [3:54] *
3. Twist Of Cain (Live) [4:25] **
4. Dirty Black Summer (Live) [4:14] **
 

* From the Danzig 4p sessions.
** Recorded Live: 12/19/1994 at Seattle Center Arena; Seattle, WA

I've always loved Danzig's song CantSpeak [watch the MUSIC VIDEO]. I didn't hate the slight change in direction that Glenn went with 4p. I embraced it and still to this day really feel that 4p and his two previous albums are his most accomplished works. If the man had remained on this technical level and perhaps had been more open to his bandmate's artistic influences, Danzig 5 would more than likely had been celebrated triumphantly and treasured by his fans. Unfortunately we all know what really happened. I dig the sound of this track and yeah, I even think it rocks when all that distorted shit kicks in around the middle mark. The music video's curious visuals and cool lightning effects amplify this songs strange feel and gives it another dimension. If only the Video had been included in this CD package instead of that Radio Edit track. Or perhaps even discard the Album Version and put Let It Be Captured as the secondary track. CantSpeak's instrumental is after all LIBC played backwards, so that would have been at least interesting.

The Live version of Twist of Cain here takes what can be a sometimes underwhelming & repetitive song and gives it a fresh mind-tingling vibe. John's guitar work here is insane, as he changes things up and inserts little bits of awesomeness all over the place for seconds at a time. The distortion is right on and it's got a gritty feeling that improves upon the original version. It's not technically perfect since it is a raw performance, but the band puts all of their effort into getting this one rockin'! On the second Live track here, Dirty Black Summer, Glenn seems to be really having fun with it. Sounds like he needs to drink a little water though near the end of it. It should be NOTED that these two tracks were recorded during that same concert in '94, yet were not included on the Black Hand CD Set from '01. That's a pity, but I guess it gives Danzig fans good reason to go out and find this Single. Even if it's for Twist of Cain alone. This is a worthwhile, yet imperfect Single.

Danzig - I Don't Mind The Pain

Danzig - I Don't mind The Pain (CD, Maxi-Slim, Single) [1995] Germany.

That cool looking Ouija Table on the back cover. Front cover, rather uninspired.

Line-up change. If only it had stayed this way afterwards...

1. I Don't Mind The Pain (Edit) [4:28] *
2. Going Down To Die (Album Version) [5:02] *
3. Bringer Of Death (Live) [6:35] **
4. Little Whip (Live) [4:55] **

* From the Danzig 4p Sessions.
** Recorded: 12/19/1994 at Seattle Center Arena; Seattle, WA

I don't know what's up with the Edit on the title track or the second track on the CantSpeak single, but they're both just under twenty seconds shorter and neither of the songs are profane so I'm just going to safely assume that they're both Radio Edits to make them both just under the four minute mark. As for the title track of this Single, I Don't Mind The Pain [watch the MUSIC VIDEO, which looks like Danzig stepped on the set of a Jean Rollin film using Dario Argento's old Imbibition Technicolor film stock (kinda)] is an interesting choice for the fourth single. I wouldn't have minded Sadistikal in its place, but this was the tracks destiny I guess (IDMTP is a bit more "catchy"). Hell, they made Little Whip a shirt. The Album Version of Going Down To Die, while a beautiful track, is still just the album version so I'm skipping it.

The real treat on this Single is the live track Bringer Of Death [watch a FAN VIDEO set to the film Masque of Red Death]. The sound is crisp, clear and the energy Glenn and the band have here is simply incredible! They're playing this song fast as fuck, but to perfection. Then they slow it down to just light drumming and Eerie Von's bassline, and Glenn starts whispering, telling the crowd to quiet down for a moment: "Shhhhh! I wanna hear the bones break. Shh! Yeah... I wanna hear another skull crush! Hahaha! HAHAHA!!!" Oh and that laugh he gives after he says that is diabolical let me tell you. I think this live version is even better than the one on the album.

Little Whip starts off, as usual, slowly, but Danzig and Co unleash a furious, blasting power during the finale of the song that you can really get into and feel. These two live tracks are outstanding, and I'm sure that Glenn thought so himself because in 2001 he released six tracks from his '94 live show in Seattle on the Double-Disc Live album "Live On The Black Hand Side". The others from that set are Killer Wolf, Going Down To Die, Stalker Song & Long Way Back From Hell. I find this live version of Bringer Of Death to be better than the one they put on the original album. This Single is only recommended for collectors, as (like I just said) three of the songs have been released on readily available albums and the title track is a shortened Radio Edit. Unless you're really into Radio Edits, or something...

Danzig - Dirty Black Summer

Danzig - Dirty Black Summer (CD, Digipak, Single) [1992, 1994 Re-Issue] US.

In this re-issue the case spine still shows "Def American"...

...though, the CD is their newer "American Recordings" style.

1. Dirty Black Summer (Album Version) [5:12] *
2. Bodies (Album Version) [4:24] *

3. When Death Had No Name (Previously Unreleased) [5:20] **

* From the Def American album How The Gods Kill.

** From the How The Gods Kill sessions.

42 seconds of ominous low-drowned tones, light thunder and rain... John Christ's squeeling riff begins as Chuck Biscuit's drums slowly build and creep in... Glenn and Eerie get into it and step (almost) away from the pyre, to commence rocking. So what does Dirty Black Summer [Watch the MUSIC VIDEO] remind you of? Being fifteen years old, having bonfires at the beach and just doin' whatever the hell made you feel good - things you've never done before or were just starting to experience? Perhaps you knew a girl named Summer when this song came out, and  (un)fortunately for her she just got a new nickname?

How The Gods Kill, Lucifuge and, when I got would teg hgih, 4p were non-stop in my CD player. I fell in love with 4p, for there was no denying that is just spoke to me. But Lucifuge and HTGK are what I consider to be Danzig's peak, for he, his band and Rick Rubin achieved untouchable perfection with their sound, style and content. That's not to say that I love every song on both of these records. I actually wasn't too fond of Dirty Black Summer, nor was I too much of Do You Wear The Mark, 777, or I'm The One. All four are very listenable tracks and I know that Glenn is proud of I'm the One; they just never really stuck with me, though over time I've come to appreciate them a bit more.

Bodies [Watch the MUSIC VIDEO] gives Eerie Von another time to shine, one not found in this Single's title track, and I'm glad that it's been included here since it is the best track out of the three presented. Danzig recorded WDHNN at every session from something like SamHain up until, well hell it's been so long now that he could damn well still be recording it. Even though it never seems to get added to the album, it's played at damn-near every single live show and a version is occasionally released as a B-Side somewhere. The version on this album is also on The Lost Tracks Of Danzig 2-Disc set that came out in 2007. There's also a version of the song from the first album's session.

So back to me (sorry), what do I think of this release? While I really like Bodies, none of these three tracks are particularly my favorites from the band. The Digipak looks great, but can easily scuff so be careful. I would say that this CD is for hardcore collectors only, because the one special extra track can be found all over the place, and the title & second track are album versions. All in all it's a bit weak, but I found it in the shop brand new for a lowish price back in 1995/6 so I'm pleased that I own it. You can probably find versions of this Single online for a low price still (it may not be a Digipak), but I would say just buy Danzig III and the Lost Tracks, unless you're a completest.

*EDIT* And Unholy Hell does that Bodies video kick major arse!! Truly, the Dirty Black Summer video does nothin' for me... check em' out and let me know what you think.

The Slice Girls CD...

Many of us have undeservingly had to endure the wrath, somehow or someway, of John A. Russo’s re-cut and re-edit of Night of the Living Dead. Dubbed the 30th Anniversary Version, many people, horror fans especially, proclaim it the “holocaust of horror tampering.” Russo did something unspeakable, and though the original is still in tact and readily available (unlike what some other filmmakers are doing these days), I sometimes wonder…

…what power did this “Scott Vladimir Licina” have over the man? Was it love, lust, or even perhaps both? Russo may have always had this vision, but never really went about it, you know? It’s as if it were something you would speak of to… a lover, asking an annoyingly ass question. “My regrets? Oh, I’ve always wished we got those extra fifteen minutes of Night. I’ve got the budget now, but if only I had a totally serious about being a dark soul vampire being who plays synth and doesn’t mind portraying a priest for the role.”

I don’t know. Maybe it was all business. Who cares really? At the time, I had been a devout follower of Scream Queens Illustrated, Draculina, and such magazines… and there were a lot of independent film mags that popped up in the comic shops around those times that are now defunct. Just like this guy’s career apparently. I still have Issue 8 of SCI from 1995, with Debbie Rochon on the cover. I got a couple other mags with Debbie on the cover too actually, so I guess you could say that even at that grand young age of 15 I was an uber-fan.

So when I was notified that she had done a CD with some other Scream Queens (one which is a parody of the Spice Girls) and it’s signed by all four girls, I said what the hell. Somehow, and I don’t know if she wanted to, he got Steffanie Pitt (daughter of Ingrid) to do lead vocals on the parody CD, with Christine Cavalier, Tammy Parks and Debbie Rochon on background vocals. It’s definitely an interesting and probably now rare piece of independent cinema offspring bullshit work, and according to the girls (as far as I know) it was all done for fun. I can only hope that all parties involved feel the same way.

The first two parody songs are cute and well done, probably since they stick so close to the source material. Which in itself is pretty horrible anyways… but you know what, I don’t mind all that crap. I can dig a few shitty pop songs on the radio sometimes. I know if you hear them enough, you’re susceptible to brainwashing, but realistically, The Spice Girls never did shit for me. For this guy “Vlad” to even study enough of their tunes to copy two and a half tracks, plus do his own horrible Techno remixes to a few, I don’t know. I’d bet he’s a real fan of the original group, but then again, this release is so half-assed.

Perhaps this was an extra in the budget they used for the RotLD re-do. All I know is this, I like the characters they came up with: Debbie as the mummy girl Isis (I’ve got pics but I’ll have to dig them out), Steffanie as the blood sucker Vampee, Tammy as the witch Kraftee and Christine as the Bride-ish Franken. Nothing was really over-explored, especially the “music”, which I bet the real group would have considered suing over, up until they heard “Vlad’s” “creative” remix tendency to shift sound (on crack) from left to right speaker as if that’s “creepy” somehow.

Dude, it totally sucks balls. The remixes are absolute shit, and the whole thing is pretty much as f’n ghey as you can get. But the first two tracks are funny on their own… and hey, I guess it supported four very cool ladies. If you can find it on the cheap I say buy it and check it out for yourself. It’s just a damn shame that this CD is basically a Single with extra tracks. Total weak effort and the dude on Synth just isn’t talented at all. I don’t know what Ingrid Pitt’s daughter has done since then music wise, since she’s basically the main attraction here, but I hope it has nothing to do anywhere near this fucking ass-clown. Good luck girls. Stay out of Hot Topic, you never know what kind of douchebags you’ll meet there.

Soundtrack!: Henry... Portrait.

If Fabio Frizzi’s soundtrack to Fulci’s Gates of Hell is the score of nightmares, then this is the score to the nightmares that fuckin’ nightmares have! And you better believe that shit, too. You want to feel something crawling under your skin, creeping up your back and giving you that “I need a shower” sensation? Hell, that sounds dirty as shit! Uh. Listening to this could quite possibly have you rocking back and forth in the corner of a dark room, not blinking…

…then again, it could have you dancing with your best friend’s sister in the kitchen while pounding down teh brews. Because not only is this CD filled with some of the grimmest, most frightening, low-droning sounds set to women being violently slaughtered and slashed... it’s also got some pretty neat, upbeat jazzy tunes. Alright, baby! And I’m not talking about the joyful little track that is “Adios, Motherfucker” either.

I’m sure the first track anyone would fondly recall is Enuff Z Nuff’s “Fingers On It”… now, the tunes on this CD aren’t really my thing, but this one is definitely the best of them all. It’s pretty solid and enjoyable all over, plus, kinda kickass. Kid Tater & The Cheaters come with four tracks, “Too Young For These Blues”, “La Lania”, “Callin’ Colleen” and “Jukin’”. They’re all old fashioned bluesy-rock tracks that are easy goin’ and honestly aren’t that bad, with the exception of “Jukin”, because really, that annoying terminology alone makes the Docs want to mash Grill. Plus the song sounds different than their others, and sucks way harder. I did a search online for these dudes and all I came up with is a picture from a 45, and that’s it. Anyone know the year they recorded? 1862? No matter. The last song on the album is “My Mistake” from Lynne and the Lizards. It’s a song about a girl whose mistake was loving a guy, and loving that guy was her mistake. Yeah, but it fits at least, for the first part anyways.

Rob McNaughton (Director, Synth, Piano), Ken Hale (Synth, Piano), Steven A. Jones (Synth, Drums) and Paul Petraitis (Guitar) really came up with some sickening stuff here. Incorporating the random screams, gunshots, and array of strange sounds into collages throughout the score  takes an already unnerving feeling to otherworldly dimensions of terror. When you think of films where the soundtrack becomes the aura, it’s in cases like these ones. When listening to this, first of all, you can’t ever forget the film or try to not think of it… and secondly, they don’t let you since they incorporate a lot of the dialogue onto the track introductions. The main theme itself, “Henry’s Theme”, is damn near indescribable in how awesome it is at getting you that out of body and mind experience. The other score tracks are follow-ups in this style that all get you going down that crazy ass road. “Kill Hookers”, “The Stalk”, “Dead Body Drones”, “Home Invasion”, ect… no matter which dark and dank corner you go down, it’s all red sauce.

Well, except for the track, “Becky Downtown”. This light and fluffy 80’s stroll muzak is perhaps the most generic on the record, sounding like something ripped out of Mannequin or some shit. WTF, guys?

For the dialogue only(for the most part) tracks, there’s the “Yeah, I killed my momma” speech, Henry arguing to Otis not to do that because “She’s your sister!”, the late night “Let’s go shopping” for TVs scene, and of course, “It’s always the same… and it’s always different.” All certified classics! “Adios Mother****er” is pretty much all score, unless you count the following horrified screams and squishy stabbing sounds as “dialogue”. Heh.

I liken this Soundtrack to both from The Gates of Hell and Last House on the Left. On one hand, it’s Gates of Hellish in its score, in which you can picture horrifying deadness, decay and agony. Like the Last House soundtrack (with pure sweeeeetness from David Hess) it’s something you wouldn’t expect (in that case Folk-ish, this one Blues-ish) and there’s a track in there that has you shaking your head, but you’ll probably still listen to it for the suck. They do make a great Trio though, and I guess that means I’m going to have to do Last House’s disc next. The booklet for HENRY is filled with 40(!) small but detailed and not to mention cool photos from the set and behind the scenes. Make no mistake, I love this movie – Gave it Full Rank! – and this soundtrack is bomb, but a couple tracks blow like the coke in my nose. That’s 9/10 for the CD (docking points minorly), and Highly Recommended.

Soundtrack!: For Lucio Fulci

After two false starts (one an interview with Lucio’s daughter Antonella on regards to the CD and rokOPERA’s compilation of film quotes laid over the music), GWAR’s version of the Zombi2 lead track kicks in… and boy let me tell you, it’s got one sinister robotic vibe to it, which may sound strange since it was so tribal and un-electronic upon creation. It’s as if the theme had been shot out into deep space, hitting Decepticon radar and Soundwave is recreating what he deciphered to his master, The Almighty Megatron. It’s cold, grim and nearly tentacle rapish.

Carfax then hits you with an absolutely insane mix of severe gothic tones of metal, jazz, classical and just plain electronic strangeness in their Beyond suite. Afterwards, Alucarda steps in with a softer bit from the film. Five tracks to Fulci’s House by the Cemetery are next on the list, one of them by none other than Nile! Hell, who would have thought… I’m just surprised they chose a track from this film and not Manhattan Baby. You know, with all the fuckin’ pyramids and all! But let’s not dwell on the strange shit, shall we not? Al Festa, naturally, chooses and composes the gheyest sounding track on the disc… not that it’s much of a surprise if you’ve seen Fatal Frames(!). The other House tracks are good instrumentals, ON/OFF’s being the best out of the three.

Then things start to get weird. Darkest of the Hillside Thickets busts out with a light, fluffy tune about Fulci’s House of Clocks… they sound like a happy-go-lucky Misfits(I use that as a generic term), and they apparently normally sing about H.P. Lovecraft. Either way, I wasn’t really diggin’ it, but that’s just me. Next up, Still Sad gives a very short but beautifully rendered suite from the film. WARNING! Now is the time to freak out!!1 Four tracks derived from. . . . . The GATES . . . OF . . . HELL! First up is Penis Flytrap with "Crryyyy Tears of Bloooooood!" Be forewarned, and not sober, when you listen to this track. You may just start to bash your own head in listening to this, but no doubt, this woman’s as beautiful as her voice. Doomstone comes next with song Twisted Priest, and its supposedly “black metal-ish”. Seeing as I’m not up to date on Doomstone and this may not represent one of their original songs, I’ll not comment on how I didn’t dig that it wasn’t as much black metal, but more of a Morbid Angel meets Phil Collins type sound. Somebody needs to let me know. James Murphy and Deep Red do a listenable but overly synth sounding track next, and then, well, maybe I shouldn’t even comment on the last one for Gates, entitled “Head Over Heels” by Glen ‘Diablo’ McNeil, because fuckin’ hell, it makes me want to stab myself in the f’n eardrums with a thousand Snarf dicks. Why? Because that would be more pleasurable of a sensation. Hmm. Perhaps it’s a joke track or something. There’s no other way…

Rounding it off on Disc 1 is a complete non-stoppin’, butt-rockin’, drunken-hazen’, fall-asleep-inatin’ tune by rokOPERA to the tune of Conquest. It’s about eight minutes… Eight long ass mufuckin’ minutes, but maybe you’re into that sort of thing. I usually am, if the song kicks ass n’ shit, but yeah. The Black Cat gets its due next with an old school tribute from Marco Werba. It’s a nice Synth job, and it’s probably been a while since we all had one of those. And right before the cherry on the top too, which just happens to be a 1:24 minute portion of select audience reaction to a showing of The Beyond. It could have been better of an ending, but alas, it’s not an ending at all… that was just disc 1. So, let’s see how the other one fairs in comparison.

With disc 2, Alucarda bust in with their second suite to The Beyond... and it’s a lot better than their first offering since this is the main theme and it goes on for just over eight minutes. Only slight problem is that they don’t really do anything special with it other than just give it their signature sound. And while that’s usually ok for this sort of thing, their signature sound is too similar to the original source material in this case. That's not to say that it isn't completely beautiful. ON/OFF does their thing next with The Beyond and its damn near traumatic, quite frightening and reminiscent of the HENRY soundtrack which just rocks the f’n socks off the other two Beyond tracks on this disc. The last is from Necrophagia, and we’ve all heard enough of that one, so really there’s no bother mentioning.

Sorry!, then pulls off a Manhattan Baby tribute that may just leave your brain in stitches, as it is Insane. Afterwards a New York Ripper track from Another Dead Junkie which is Mega-Man like and quite enjoyable. This Secret Garden does a Bela Lugosi's Dead type track for Voices From Beyond… it just makes me want to shoot some smack and hit the dance floor, goth style. You know, where you just kinda stand there and slowly rock back and forth? Then we hit another 3-Block of lust for the film that is THE GATES OF HELL! We’ve got three very unique and different takes on the film…. The first a goth-metal song from Skitzo, the second being some loops and electronic strangeness(which really kicks ass) from Body Hammer, and the third, a straight score job. The rest of the score jobs are for the films: New Gladiators, Door into Silence, Seven Black Notes and Contraband.

This Double-Disc set is sort of a “mixed bag”, but don’t get me wrong though as it is a definite Must Buy! A couple songs seem like inside jokes, most of the heavier punk stuff is just blatantly in-your-face shitty, and the people who did straight score replication in their own styles could have been a little more interesting… but then there are the gems! When it's good it's f'n tremendous, when it's ok it's still enjoyable and when it sucks, you'll be bound to go on a demented rampage, demanding to know what the meaning of this is!

"For Lucio Fulci: A Symphony of Fear" comes with a 16 page booklet that lets you know about the bands, and how much a certain someone loves ol’ Lucio… Now, Graveside Entertainment was most directly responsible for this sweet genre release, and they teamed with Blackest Heart Media. Both of them used to sell UNCUT VHS dupes of all your favorite films, before the VHS biz went down the drain (apparently!?) and people over here got the rights to sell shitty movies. The people who started Graveside were, I do believe, members of the band Alucarda themselves. I remember back in the day on their page the band was mad pimped out. I actually ordered my first two tapes from Graveside back in "96, Argento's Tenebrae and Deep Red. Not exactly sure what happened with them after their collaborations with BHM, but as you should know, Blackest rolled out and transformed into Rotten Cotton Graphics. This time around selling T-Shirts, the remaining bit of their Merch, and making their Black Devil Doll film.

Even though some of the songs here may not be "good" or fit your tastes, you can really feel that a lot of love went into this release. And I guess that counts for something... right? Almost forgot, this 2Disc set was originally going to either be 3Discer or for those who pre-ordered it, you would later get a third. I'm pretty sure nothing came of this and the third disc was never made. Sad as that is, there's still nothing sadder than not owning this release at all. And that my fiends, is me rubbing it in. 7/10 Rating.